Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-08-05
OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. FRIDAY EVENING, AUG. 5. 1857

OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA, FRIDAY EVENING, AUG. 5. 1857. |
The New Party Movement.
In this issue of the STANDARD ap-
pears call for q meeting to be held
tomorrow evening, in Tacoma Hall,
for the formation of q Prohibition
Party" 1t is signed by upwards OF
Fifty citizens Of Olympia, some of them
we'll known to our people as adherents
of the two great parties of the country.
The object as stated is to agitate the
question of temperance, "until ma
tional statutory prohibition is reached"
and in order to promote this agitation,
to organize q separate and distinct
party, neither of the old parties being
brave enough, it is declared, to face
the music. Whether they propose to
retain their positions in the old parties,
while thus stabbing them under the
fifth rib, or not, the call fails TO state,
except by the logical infence drawn
from the declaration that its signers
"will never give up until national
statutory prohibition is reached" This
would seem to indicate purpose to
cut loose entirely from former political
affiliations, and this view is supported
by customary usage of both parties,
construed with the most liberal intent,
which would exclude from member
ship those who declare fealty to anoth-
er organization laboring for objects
that must, of necessity, be inimical
thereto.
1t is quite evident that our prohibi-
ton friends have assumed q task OF
vast magnitude, and like most reform
ers have not stopped to consider the
long train of circumstances that must
inevitable intervene between cause and
effect before the goal of their ambition
is reached. The object they propose
toaccomplish with so much expedition
is one in which sixty millions of peo-
pie have an interest, and one upon
which there exists much honest diff
ference Of opinion; still the movement
springs, 80 far az we are informed by
the call, from an inconsiderable few
citizens of an obscure village in the
remotest Territory of the Union, and
is fastened into activity twenty-four
hours after it has seen daylight
through the public prints! Such
vigor is exceedingly phenomenal. 1t
is that sort of traditional energy which
is said to develop mountains from
molehills. 1t is q manifestation of an
active force which exhausts itself so
quickly that the mind of the public
is dazed and unable to grasp its mean
ing. 1t is the firing of powder before
the projectile is impact, or what is
known in vulgar parlance as a fash
in the pam" It is Of the same cut of
the zeal which animated the three
tailors of London when by petition to
. parliament they represented them
selves % "We the commonwealth of
England" lis of the nature of events
that have been embalmed in verse, and
in this instance the epic is Of charac-
teristic and appropriate brevity-sim-
ply:
"It was 70 soon to be dohe for,
Oh why was It begun for"
The STANDARD has no disposition to
criticise the merits of the object sought
by prohibition organizers. as expressed
in their call. They have q right to Ia
Dor for the suppression of traffic
which they believe does harm; q right
to promote any given measure of pol
ity by organization. Nobody will deny
them the privilege Of sundering pol
itical ties, if by so doing they may Ia
Dor more honestly and more conscien-
tiously in different fields of duty; but
they must not expect that they can
serve two masters. They must not in
dulge the hallucination that either OF
the organized parties will submit to
what is popularity known as bulldosing,
or patiently yield to dictation, inside
or outside the pale, from those who
condemn their methods, and expect
by independent action to rule or ruin.
Any other course would be but placing
premium upon the acts of any bolt
ing faction that might imagine itself q
balance Of power. Majorities must
Of necessity rule in al party organiza-
lions to determine the policy to be en-
braced in the creed, and those who oh
ject 30 strenously to any given tenet
that they are impelled to take part in
forming another party, should take
formal leave of their former associates.
Continued utilization implies an obi
cation to stand by its avowed princi-
pies Just as strong a. final action in
convention pledges the party to support
Of the nominees.
This truth is of such general recog-
milton it needs but to be stated to &C.
cure the admission that those who
take part in the formation Of any new
party must of necessity step down and
out of the old organizations.
In Indianapolis last week the
weather was so hot that o gross Of
eggs, securely boxed and stored in q
warehouse, were Matched by the gener-
al heat and something less than
twelve dozen motherless chicks
stepped forth to face hot aud I'm.
feeling world That IA what thav